Page 26 of The Has-Been

“Shit,” he curses. “You know I wasn’t referring to you.” His eyes slam closed. He’s always been bad with words; anyone around him long enough knows that. “I just…I just made a promise. Okay?”

I blow a heavy breath out. I try to think about what to say next, but I come up short. The only thing I think of is how, whenever I was down and in my head, he’d always crack a joke to lighten the mood.

I swallow dryly, shoving him backward on the ice as I stand.

“Probably for the best,” I chide. “You know, so you can enjoy the playing time while you can…before your ass gets sore riding the bench watching the big boys.”

We both know my words are a joke. Morgan Reid will be a breakout star in the NHL. Whenever that day comes, that is...

I turn to leave, having spent enough time here for one night. “I’m going to grab something to eat—do you wanna come?”

His response is almost immediate. “No. No, I think I’m going to meet up with someone after I’m done here.”

That gets my attention. I spin around. “So when will I get to meet her?” I question, brows piqued with interest.

But he flips me off, skating around the ice and going back to his drills. Before I leave, he yells, “Trust me…something tells me you’d love her. She likes busting my balls.”

My chest shakes with laughter as I call back, “Shit, I think I’m already in love with her.”

“FUCK OFF!” He yells as the doors close behind me.

Whoever she is, she must be a hell of a woman to turn Reid’s eye away from hockey with something as trivial as a single text message.

As I walk proudly out of the arena, I can’t help but think of Aubrey.

She was always that person for me.

CHAPTER 5

THE DATE

AUBREY

I’ve moped around all week.

By the time Saturday comes, it should come as no surprise that my cousins are sick of seeing me in poor form. It’s blatantly obvious on each of their faces as the three of them stroll into my room.

“Let me guess…this is some type of intervention?” I ask. Folding my arms over my chest, I pray it hides the stain on my sweatshirt that I haven’t changed out of in days.

They each nod, sitting on my floor as I pull my knees to my chest instead.

“You said this year was going to be different,” Reese announces through pointed brows.

“And it has been,” I counter, raising my shoulders. But they each look at me blankly. “Okay, maybe⁠—”

But I’m cut off when June reaches out a hand and says, “Hand over your phone.”

“No,” I drawl, inching back from her.

She stands, hands on her hips. “Aubrey, hand it over.”

I look from June to Rory. Hell must have frozen over today because it seems the two of them are in agreement as Rory insists, “Hand. It. Over.”

I sigh, retreating my eyes to Reese, my last resort. Surely she will be on my side.

It only takes a look to see she’s not.

She points at my phone, still gripped in my fingers, and then back to June. “Aubs,” she declares, “you have to move on.”